10th fire at Chandigarh furniture market in 13 years

TNN | Updated: Apr 15, 2020, 06:33 IST

The scene at the furniture market after the fire in Sector 53 on Wednesday

CHANDIGARH: The fire that broke out in the furniture market on the road dividing sectors 53 and 54 on Monday night was is the 10th at the same site in the last 13 years.
The fire department got the call about 11 pm. Several fire tenders were pressed into service. Officials said the fire was doused at 4 am. Staff returned to their houses after finishing all formalities at around 6 am. They are still preparing the report, which will be submitted to the municipal corporation, a senior official said.

According to reports, 17 shops were gutted. A preliminary report prepared by the fire and emergency wing of the municipal corporation pointed to the presence of chemicals, which shopkeepers use while making furniture, as the reason behind the blaze. The exact reason is, however, yet to be ascertained.
As there was a lockdown, there was nobody in these shops. No loss of life was reported. Importantly, there were a number of fire safety violations in the market. According to information, there was no passage for the movement of fire tenders behind the shops. Besides, a majority of shopkeepers have not kept fire extinguishers to control the fire in case of emergencies.
Meanwhile, the officials of the fire and emergency services, Municipal Corporation, said there is a legal problem in issuing notice to traders for fire safety violations as the market is illegal.